Pallone Elastico Court

One of the last working courts for the medieval game of pallone elastico

At the edge of the village is the sferisterio — a long, rectangular court bounded by a high wall — built for pallone elastico. Players strike a hard leather ball back and forth using a wooden brace called a bracciale strapped over the forearm. The game requires a swing, a kind of grace, and considerable strength.

Matches still happen here in summer, mostly on Sunday afternoons. If you can time your visit around one, do — it is one of the older living sports in Europe, and pulled-up plastic chairs and a bottle of Ovada around the court make for a very Ligurian afternoon.

things to do sight
A story
Pallone elastico — a kind of handball played with a wooden brace strapped to the forearm — was once the national sport of Piedmont and Liguria. Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi wrote an ode in its praise in 1821. Today only a handful of communities still play it, and Bormida is one of them.